1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus to which such a process cartridge can removably be mounted.
Here, the process cartridge is a unit which includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a charge means, a developing means or a cleaning means and which can removably be mounted on the image forming apparatus, or a unit which includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and at least one of a charge means, a developing means and a cleaning means and which can removably be mounted on the image forming apparatus, or a unit which includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and at least a developing means and which can removably be mounted on the image forming apparatus.
Further, the image forming apparatus is an apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by utilizing an electrophotographic process, such as an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, laser beam printer, LED printer and the like), an electrophotographic word processor and the like.
2. Related Background Art
In known electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as printers, a latent image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member uniformly charged by means of a charger by selectively exposing the photosensitive member in response to image information. The latent image is developed with toner to visualize the latent image as a toner image. Then, the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium.
On the other hand, there has been a process cartridge wherein an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charger, a developing device and a cleaning device are integrally assembled together as a unit which can removably be mounted on an image forming apparatus, thereby permitting replacement of the photosensitive member or the like, a service life of which was expired, by a new one, and facilitating maintenance.
The present invention further improves the conventional process cartridges.